Recovery of Attorney Fees for the Employer in Oregon Wage and Hour Cases
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A recent Oregon Court of Appeals case, Rogers v. RGIS, LLP, presents an opportunity for employers. In Rogers, the court awarded an employer a whopping $180,854.09 in attorney fees. The plaintiff brought one lawsuit but several wage and hour claims (overtime, minimum wage, late payment of final wages, unpaid wages for rest and meal breaks).
The court found the plaintiff prevailed on a few claims, but the employer prevailed on most. As a result the employer was awarded six figures and the plaintiff was awarded only $880 to cover fees.
This case is saying that a prevailing party may recover fees, which relate to each separate wage claim. For example, if the plaintiff brings five separate wage claims and the employer prevails on four, the employer will (in the court’s discretion) get to recover its fees to defend against the four claims upon which it prevailed.
If you’re sued under Oregon wage and hour laws, you should seek fees under ORS 20.077 and 653.055(4). You can also use the potential for recovering fees as leverage before a lawsuit is filed. Will this logic be extended to other employment claims, such as discrimination and retaliation claims?
DOL Secures $3.4 Million Settlement for NY Car Wash Employees
A portend of things to come in federal wage enforcment? Yesterday, a group of New York car washes have agreed to pay over one thousand current and former employees a total of $3.4 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the Department of Labor (DOL) alleging violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Click here to read the consent decree in Solis v. LMC et al.
As we reported back in May, the Department of Labor received a budget increase of 10 percent and is devoting most of that increase to enforcement. Employers can expect to see more activity from the DOL to enforce wage and hour laws, especially large cases against groups of employers.
In the meantime, sit back, relax and enjoy Rose Royce:
Reality Show Contestants Win Overtime Case; SAG Signs Contract
A French court recently awarded 11,000 euros (about $15,000) in damages to three contestants in a reality television show, finding that the contestants were entitled to overtime and other benefits. The three plaintiffs appeared in L'Ile de la Tentation (Temptation Island), a show that follows couples separated on a tropical island, where single people attempted to seduce them. (Click here for the full story from the BBC.)
Why the overtime? The French court ruled that the contestants were actually working 24 hours a day while being seduced: "Temptation Island constitutes a job and therefore justifies an employment contract," the court said. "Tempting a person of the opposite sex requires concentration and attention." Concentration, indeed. Don't be surprised if American reality show contestants try the same thing (especially those that get voted off in the first few rounds).
Back stateside, the Screen Actors Guild voted overwhelmingly to approve a new two-year contract with the Hollywood Studios by a vote of 78 percent to 22 percent. Not only does the vote end a year-long impasse, it should also ease our collective fears of an actors' strike, which, like last year's writer's strike, would have resulted in another wave of dreadful reality shows like Temptation Island. Thank you actors!
Exotic Dancers Are Employees, Not Independent Contractors
Every now and then we need a reminder to illustrate the dangers of misclassifying employees as "independent contractors." Last week, the Montana Supreme Court provided such a reminder, ruling that exotic dancers were employees, not independent contractors. Click here to read the opinion in Smith v. TYAD Inc. d/b/a Playground Lounge & Casino.
In Playground, the employer required each dancer to sign a contract acknowledging that she would be considered an “independent contractor" who would pay a "stage fee" to “rent” the stage and a dressing room for every night she worked. In return, each dancer would retain all tips and dance fees. According to the Montana Supreme Court, not only were the dancers actually employees entitled to payment of minimum wage for all hours worked, but the "stage fees" were illegal kickbacks. It held the dancers were entitled to payment of hourly wages, overtime, repayment of the "stage fees" and penalties.
Does Playground have any lessons for the 99.99% of employers that don't employ exotic dancers? Absolutely: all employers should be careful when classifying anyone as an "independent contractor." Whether an individual is properly classified as an employee or an independent contractor is a complex question of both state and federal law. Besides being held liable for back pay and overtime, employers who misclassify employees can be charged with unpaid wage withholdings and unemployment insurance premiums. Worse yet, employers who don't pay workers' compensation insurance on misclassified employees can find themselves in a world of hurt if one of those employees sustains an on-the-job injury. (The Playground Lounge should be thankful none of its dancers fell off the stage.) For more information on the criteria courts and agencies use, check out this page on the IRS' Independent Contractor Status Test.
Cosmetology Teachers, Not Day Care Teachers, Overtime Exempt
Cosmetology teachers, but not day care teachers, are exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act's (FLSA's) overtime and minimum wage rules, according to two recent opinion letters from the Department of Labor.
The FLSA contains an exemption for professional employees, including any “teacher in elementary or secondary schools.” Cosmetology teachers qualify for the exemption, according to the DOL, because they teach in an accredited secondary school and because their primary duty is "teaching and instructing students in cosmetology theory." Yes, you read that correctly: cosmetology theory. Click here to read the DOL's opinion letter on cosmetologists.
Day care teachers, on the other hand, do not qualify for the exemption because they do not teach in a qualifying institution. According to the DOL, “[u]nless the daycare center provides grade school curriculums, introductory programs in kindergarten, or nursery school programs in elementary education of the sort described in [the act], the instructors are not within the scope of the teacher exemption of the FLSA.” Click here to read the DOL's opinion letter on day care teachers.
What lesson can we learn from these opinions? The FLSA exemptions are highly technical and not always intuitive. If you are classifying your employees as FLSA-exempt, not only should you make sure the employees meet all of the duties tests under the statute and regulations, but also that your organization meets any requirements that may be imposed as well. For more guidance on the FLSA exemptions, read this compliance guide on the FLSA from our friends at the DOL.
California Overtime Laws Cover Nonresidents Who Work in California
Do California wage and hour laws - including their daily and weekly overtime provisions - apply to non-residents who occasionally perform work in California? Yes, according to a decision from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this month. Click here to read the court's decision in Sullivan v. Oracle Corp.
In Sullivan, Oracle sent employees who regularly lived and worked in Arizona and Colorado to California on temporary assignments to train Oracle's customers on the use of its software products. The plaintiffs sued under California law for daily and weekly overtime when they worked in California. Oracle argued that Arizona and Colorado law should apply because the employees regularly work and live in those states. (Of course, the plaintiffs would not have been entitled to any overtime pay under Arizona or Colorado law). A district court sided with Oracle and granted its motion for summary judgment. However, the Ninth Circuit overturned that decision and held that “California's employment laws govern all work performed in the state, regardless of the residence or domicile of the worker.”
What does this mean for employers? If you have non-California employees working in California, even on temporary assignment, make sure that you comply with California's unique wage and hour and overtime laws. For more information on California law, including its daily and weekly overtime provisions, check out this helpful FAQ from the California Labor Board.
California Drywall Contractor Settles Meal Break Case for $1.4 Million
California employers beware: the state Attorney General is enforcing meal breaks and overtime laws. This week, an Orange County drywall contractor agreed to pay $1.4 million in damages to employees who did not receive their legally required meal breaks or who did not recieve overtime. To read the settlement in the case, California v. Interwall Dev. Sys. Inc., click here. To read the Attorney General's press release, click here.
The defendant also agreed to pay the state up to $131,000 in payroll taxes it should have paid if it had adequately compensated its employees, civil fines totaling $200,000, $70,000 in attorneys' fees and costs, and $26,000 to cover the cost of a "restitution administrator." Ouch.
So remember: under California law, employees are entitled to a ten-minute break every four hours and to overtime pay for working more than eight hours per day or forty hours per week. If you don't follow the law, you might get a visit from the Governator.
Jail Time For Washington Employer
As part of a plea agreement reached earlier this month, Jerry and James Schram, co-owners of a Vancouver, Washington construction company, will serve 30 days of jail time and perform community service. Their crime? Hiding information in an attempt to reduce their workers' compensation premiums. In addition, the Schrams also pleaded guilty to misdemeanors for the unpaid wages and will pay 13 employees their back overtime, totaling over $350,000. The plea agreement was announced by the Washington Department of Labor and Industries, which brought the claims.
